- Date First Aired: 04/10/1992
Aunt Sylvie is sick, and the sisters have come to the hospital to see her. Sylvie complains about her time in hospital. They are informed that Sylvie is too old to live independently and that she needs to go into a nursing home. However, the sisters don't her to go into what they fear will be a ghastly retirement home so they invite Sylvie to live with them. However, Dorien warns them that once they take in an old person, their lives won't be the same. Meanwhile, Garth tries to get himself a motorbike but Tracey doesn't want him to.
Sylvie proves to be an obnoxious guest, even more so once she gets a bell. but she desires to return to her old flat. She's also encouraging Garth to get a motorbike, saying to do what he wants before he gets old. Eventually, Tracey can't take it anymore and wants Sylvie off to a home now. When Sharon resists, she's made to take over and is soon driven nuts as well and makes excuses to leave. Realising how much of a pain in the ass she cane be, they decide to put her in a home. Thankfully, to make matters easier, Sylvie wants to go into the nursing home they picked out for her. Also, Garth has gotten his motorbike but decides to take it back when he realises it isn't what he wants.
Tropes In This Episode:
- Annoying Patient: Auntie Sylvie drives the girls up the wall with her demands during her time with them. Doubly so once she's given a bell.Tracey: 'OO'S GIVEN 'ER A BLOODY BELL?
- Bleak Abyss Retirement Home: The girls fear that Auntie Sylvie will be sent to one of these, which is why they initially let Auntie Sylvie stay with them at first. Ultimately Subverted in that Auntie Sylvie actually wants to go to the retirement home.
- Brief Accent Imitation: Sharon puts on a Maureen Lipman impression to play Dorien's mother.
- Comically Missing the Point: Sharon remembers playing draughts with Auntie Sylvie, only for Tracey to start going on about how draughty her house was.
- Deadpan Snarker:
- Sharon when Dorien agrees with Tracey that taking care of Auntie Sylvie would be a bad idea:Dorien: Old people can be very trying.Sharon: Yeah, you can, can't ya?
- Dorien when Sharon brings out Scrabble for Auntie Sylvie:Dorien: Scrabble?Sharon: I suppose you didn't think I could play?Dorien: I didn't think you could read.
- Sharon when Dorien agrees with Tracey that taking care of Auntie Sylvie would be a bad idea:
- Delicate and Sickly: Auntie Sylvie is to the point where she is unable to live on her own. Tracey and Sharon try their best to care for her, but eventually all three decide it is best for her to live in a nursing home.
- Dirty Old Man: Tracey remarks Chris'll turn into one and spy on young women playing netball in the park.
- Dirty Old Woman: Auntie Sylvie tells Sharon all she needs to keep warm is a man in bed with her.
- Dope Slap: Tracey gives one to Garth when she discovers that he was smoking.
- Embarrassing Damp Sheets: It's mentioned that Sharon wet the bed when she was twelve.
- Flipping the Bird: Garth does this to Sharon while off-screen after she makes fun of his motorcycle.Sharon: I don't remember that hand signal from the Highway Code.
- Hollywood Board Games:
- Dorien doesn't think Sharon is literate enough to play Scrabble. She acknowledges that she's not the sharpest knife in the shed but makes clear that she knows enough to play.
- Aunt Sylvie, a Delicate and Sickly elderly woman, gets annoyed when her grandnephew Garth doesn't let her spell an existing word differently. This goes along with the obnoxious attitude she's taken with the purpose of making her hosts let her go to a retirement home.
- Injured Limb Episode: The plot of the episode is kicked off by Auntie Sylvie suffering a broken leg, forcing her to have to be moved to assisted living.
- Noodle Incident:
- Apparently, Uncle Russell died from eating hospital food during his time in hospital (although Tracey insists it was a brain tumour which did him in in the end).
- Tracey and Sharon used to own a pet hamster that got sick when Sharon didn't feed it.
- Auntie Sylvie claims she once saw Adolf Hitler in public.
- Sharon once had to go to hospital after sitting on an electric fire.
- One-Word Title: The name of the episode is "Caring".
- Porn Stash: Sharon mention Garth hides dirty books under his telly.
- Scrabble Babble: Auntie Sylvie gets angry at Garth when he won't let her spell muesli with a double o.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Sharon gets so annoyed by Aunt Sylvie that she quickly makes up an excuse about a crisis occurring at the café in a bid to leave.
- Shout-Out:
- Elizabeth II came to visit the hospital Auntie Sylvie was staying at.
- Auntie Sylvie claims to have seen Adolf Hitler.
- Sharon does a Maureen Lipman impression to roleplay as Dorien's mother.
- Dorien calls Auntie Sylvie "Quasimodo".
- Auntie Sylvie used to flash her bloomers at weddings when the "Hokey-Cokey" played.
- Take That!: Tracey and Sharon believe that in the future Sharon could either be Prince Andrew's fourth wife or Prince Edward's first.
- Title Theme Drop: A brief snippet of the theme tune plays when it's revealed that Garth's got a motorbike.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behaviour: Garth casually mentions that he was once caught smoking cigarettes by Auntie Sylvie when he was eleven.
- Your Door Was Open: Dorien says this as she enters Dalentrace to complain about Marcus:Dorien: The door was open.
